Well drilling appendage or device



Jan. 1, 1957 J. VANCE WELL DRILLING APPENDAGE OR DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed June 18, 1953 Quill R O m E V m ATTORNEY Jan. 1, J VANCE WELLDRILLING APPENDAGE OR DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1953INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent ce 2,776,111 WELL DRILLINGAPPENDAGE "ORfDEVICE James Vance; Oklahoma Gity, flkla.

.Ap'p'lic'ationJune 18;. 1953, Serial No. 362,445

g 3 Claims. (CL 255-4) The invention relates to a"well-'dril1ingappendage or device. adapted to .besecured todrill tubing or the like.atsai position ;-j'ust above the drill, the primary purpose .of -thedevice being to smooth out thewell sidewalls. \T he invention initsbroadest aspects is applicable to either rotaryorreciprocating-drilling operations, though the specific embodiment 'ofthe inventionrwill vary in accordance withthetype ofdrilling apparatusto which the vappendageis applied. Thetinvention will betspecificallyde.scribed in its,application to a rotarydrill,.withtheunderstanding that.such application of. the invention -is intended as illustrative onlyrather than as limiting 'thein- .ventiontto, the particular detailsherein set forth.

Morespecifically statedrny improved. attachment ,comprises acylindricalvsmoothing shellcarried by the drill tubing orv-the like, such shellbeing .ofsubstantially the ,samediameter as .the bit and the'wellbore,the shell be- .,ing,preferably cupped or rounded at each end so as tofacilitate its introduction into the holeand toy prevent gouging of thesidewalls in its travel up and -=dowu the hole. The cylindrical shell isprovidedwith one or JIIXOIE cup like pla ster applying members,preferably struck frornthe' shell wall, each such member'beingopen atthe lower-end to permitaccess.of--the plastering fluid Y but closed atthe upper end to 'retard the flowcf-the plastering fluid during theplastering operation. v

rItis well known that where wells,- or holes, are drilled -Tintotheaground for the: possible discovery of oil, .gas, -wa-ter.or otherproducts, they pass through numerous for- -rnat-ions of:varyingstructure ofwhich some. are solidor roeky,-while others are soft, loose,'sandy,.sh'aly, or of other.eomposite masses. 'The rocky formations,such as limestone or; sand-stone, usually-stand up .without pollapsingbreakingsdown or shaling off and droppifng down "inrthc holewhiehissbeing-cut. wOther softerorslooser -fformatinsbrealgdown-andcollapse into the-hole, making di-illing difiicilltuand requiring theconstant .removab of {the savings," which causes; expensive delay and=the..pro

-;lqnga-tionof drilling operations. 7 I 4 -Under -presentconditions,when the drilling of -a hple has been: comp1eted-the- ,sidewalls presenta rather 11ndulating COI1tOlJI,--dll6-t0 collapse of formationsby-reason-of-;-their .-structural conditions and-by reason ofihavingbeen-tgougedp outbyoperation .ofthe drilling" fluids =onthe-side walls.

Thepr-imarvpurpose of the device therewith, presented 1 1i tozsmooth.out the; side walls by] plastering and filling caving in andpresentaqsmooth filled-in surface uniform win contour.This-plastering.results. in shuttingolfa water .psands and building upthe-loose andporous formations v by' filling int-all cracksfandcrevices,,.and by-causing the walls, to standnp it makes drillingoperations md'tefcontinuous andwith aimijriim'urn off'delay There"are'two methods'bf drillingwells now=in general g p t d Jan-.1, 1.9

2 use. The first is knownas" "the rotary'meth-od, iii-which a cuttingbitfisffastenedat the end of a hollow drill 'stem,or'pipe,'and revolvedin a' rotary manner while a fluid is forced'downthe inside bf the drillstem to absorb :the cuttings from the bit at the bottom of the hole and{the solution'of cuttings and fluid is then fo'rced'back up the holebetween the walls of'the hole and the outside of thedrill stem. "As thebit cuts away'the formations and'the cuttings are forced upithe hole thebit and'drill ste'm' sink downward. 'In'its journey back up the hole"the mud, or cutting solution, under more or less pressure causes awashing awayandgouging out'of'the softer and moreporous formations.

The second drilling method is the standard, or plunger bit type in'whicha drilling tool is fastened'at the end of fa'lineor"rope,and with'an'upand down reciprocalrnotionfpounds and breaks up or pulverizes theformations, *aswitha pestle, so that they can be mixed with wateroro'th'erdiilling fluid,"and brought out ofthe hole tothe surfaceby useof abailer. Whenthe cuttings'have been b'rou'ghtbut fresh drillingfluidfis putback into the hole and the process "repeated;causingtheholeto sink. deeper and'd'eeper. In "eithenmeth'od the' gouging out andwashingaway of the side walls'is similar. It can readily be "seenth'atthe device'herewith presentedmust be adapted vfor each method in aspecifically. diiferent manner, but withfthesamegeneral results in eachcase, namely,'plasterfingfthewallsmf the hole so as to'prevent cave-insand collapsing ofcertain formations encountered.

{It has previously been proposed to employ various ap- "pendagesf foruse 'withfrotary drills primarily intended to prevejnflateral deflectionof the drill, but also. stated Ito'have a smoothing. effect uponthewalls. While the presentdevice also serves thefuseful function ofpreventing such lateraldefie'ction, its primarypurpose is to provide'means for'tillinggorbuilding up all cracks, crevices and the jlikein"the"s'ide Walls offthewell, and this, myinvention,accotnplishes'fin-a manner not possible in any of thedevices'ofthe prior art known to me, owing to the factthatthe jshellisrounded at its opposite ends and "includes cuplikeplasteringdevicesclosed atone end to preventfthe plastering fluidfrom passing freely there- .through, thisibeihgione of 'thecharacteristic features of the invention. v

Although, as previously .stated, 'the device under confsidera'tionfdoesresult V in. accomplishing several collateral f functions 'intitsoperation, i.je.,'acting as a drilling guide 1 andjsteadyingirifluje'nce on the drill-stem in rotary drilling jtofkefep itfromwhipping from side to side, which func- 'ftionsarealso' aimed at by theprior art, the primary pur- Jposeofjthepresenfdevice is to provide amethod or means to fill and'build up all cracks,'crevices and cavitiesoccurring in 'the sidewalls of the holeand to imaintainjftheIwaHs'infthat condition against erosive tendencies of,thegdrjilling'fluid as it returnsup thehole from the ,bit. Toaccomplish thispurpose it is necessary to capture and ih'oldthe cuttingsand sedimentary materials coming up ffrohrthe bit, or fsfuch materialsas may beintro-duced linto the drilling fluid for that purpose, whichnone of the devices of the prior art attempt to do, ,or succeed indoing. v

The inventionwill be finore readily understood by,referen'ce to theaccompanying drawings and following detailed description, which are,intended as illustrative rather 'than'as" limiting the invention Ito theparticular details .Ksfet forth therein.

Figfil is aview illustrating one form of my plastering 'fdevice appliedto ahydraulic rotary drill, as it appears "in-a wellhole," thedr'illtubing being broken away above and belowniy improved device;

Fig.2 is asection orl line 22'0f Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification of theattachment and showing the same used in connection with a conventionalform of rotary drill;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the attachment; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on a smaller scale showing the attachmentapplied to rotary drill tubing.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1and 2, the rotary adapted plastering device consists of a hollowcylindrical tube or shell 1 of the same diameter as the bit and the wellhole, said shell being rounded or cupped at each end as indicated at 2,so as to make introduction into the hole simpler and to prevent gougingof the side walls in its travel up and down the hole. In the side of thetube are openings 3 made by cutting a slit lengthwise of the device anda shorter slit at each end of the longer one, and bending the part soslit to the inside of the tube as to form a projecting blade, or fin 4,which protrudes into the tube. This opening should preferably be cut atan angle, and a horizontal perforated top piece 5 is secured by welding,or the like, to the upper end of the fin 4 and to the adjacent portionof the shell, so as to retard the upward flow of fluid, as will be morefully set forth hereinafter, and the inclined surface of the fin isperforated with fine openings 6, so as to allow water, or other fluid,used as drilling solution to be strained through but allow the heaviersubstances of the solution to be held against the surface of the fin.

The plastering and smoothing device so constructed is fastened rigidlyto the outside of the drill stem 20, prefcrably just above the bit so asto come into contact with porous surfaces (formations) before they startto collapse, by means of braces 7 extending from its inside surface tothe outside of the drill stem, so that when the drill stem revolves thedevice revolves with it. Any suitable means may be employed for securingthe braces 7 to the drill stem, as by welding or the use of fasteningdevices, both being well known in the art and forming no part of thisinvention. As drilling commences fluid is forced downwardly, asindicated by the arrow 9, through the center of the drill pipe 20 underpressure absorbing the cuttings from the bit and then pushed up, asindicated by arrow 11 between the walls of the hole and the drill stemto the surface. With the device attached, the mud (cutting solution) isforced up through the open bottom of the tube or shell 1, the sides ofwhich fit against the walls of the hole, and is caught between the fins4 projecting into the inside of the device and the well bore. As theshell revolves the mud is forced outward by the rotary motion along thesurface of the fins 4 towards the openings. The fins 4 act as trowelsand force the mud (cuttings) into loose or porous formations 12 fillingup all cracks and crevices 13 in the formations, while the solid portionof the tube or shell acts to smooth out the walls and keep them at auniform diameter 14. As stated above, the opening in the side of thedevice should preferably be at an angle cut in the direction of therotation of the device so as to catch and hold the cuttings better thanif it were cut perpendicularly, as the flow of the mud or plasteringfluid is usually straight up under normal conditions and such fluidwould slip by more readily if the fin were cut perpendicularly. The topend of the fin being closed serves to retard the mud and keep it fromescaping out the top before it can be used to close up holes in theporous formations. Also the blade of the fin should be perforated asindicated at 6, or constructed of material with fine openings, so as toallow a certain amount of water, or other drilling liquid, to bestrained off and allowed to escape upward, while holding the heavier ormore solid substances to be used in plastering the side walls of thehole. As in plastering any opening, the plastering material used cannotbe too fluid and must have a certain consistency to hold together. Asthe well bore is drilled deeper the fins 4 catch and hold sufficientcuttings to fill up any holes or porous places appearing in the sidewalls and the balance of the cuttings pass through the device and on upthe hole to the surface as is customary in hydraulic rotary drillingoperations.

In order to keep the returning fluid from washing out the walls up thehole several of the devices may be fastened at different points on thedrill stem, so as to keep the side walls in repair in the event they aredamaged by the force of the returning fluid which has not been used inplastering the wall below.

Wherever the hole is cut through solid formations, without any porous oropen places, the mud and cuttings remain held against the side of thefin until such formations are drilled in which it can then be used infilling up the cracks and crevices. As the mud is used up moreaccumulates behind the fin blade to keep it full and what is not beingused, or accumulating, passes up the hole to the surface as iscustomary.

It will be noted that the device accomplishes the intended purpose, ofcatching and holding the cuttings or other materials, by providing theend 5 at the top of the fin 4, which serves to keep those materials fromcontinuing to the top of the hole until such time as they would be usedby the inwardly projecting blade or fin 4- as a trowel in forcing thesematerials into any crevices or cavities in the side-walls, yet holdingand retaining them suspended, when no crevices or cavities were presentin non-porous formations, until such time as they would be needed tofill openings encountered in formations as drilling goes on.

An improved form of plastering device generally similar to the formshown in Figs. 1 and 2, and intended for use with a hydraulic rotarydrill is disclosed in Figs. 3 to 6. Such device comprises a cylinderlike shell 30 similar to the shell 1 of Figs. 1 and 2, of a diametercorresponding to the size of the hole being drilled, open at each end32, 33 to allow passage upward of the drilling fluid, the ends beingbent slightly inward at 34, 35 to allow easier introduction andwithdrawal from the hole without gouging the side walls. The cylinder orshell is provided with means, such as clamps or other fasteners 36, toattach it firmly to the drill stem 37, and is provided with elongatedopenings or slits 38, preferably angular, in its side wall 39 facing andcoming into contact with, the side wall 31 of the hole being dug. Inplace of the fin 4 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a bulge or protuberance 40,extending inwardly into the cylinder is fastened by welding or othersuitable fastening means to the edges of each elongated opening 38,being completely enclosed except at the bottom which is left open andslightly flared, thereby forming a pocket-like receptacle or reservoir.As can readily be seen, the purpose is to catch cuttings or sedimentarymaterials as they come up the hole from the bit 42 through the opening43 (Fig. 6) in the bottom of this inward bulge and dispose of themthrough the openings 38, 38 in the side wall of the cylinder intocrevices or cavities when present, such sedimentary materials being heldin the reservoir by the side walls of the hole when no cavities arepresent, until other cavities appear as the well progresses downward.Preferably the wall and top of the reservoir, or inward bulge shouldhave small openings 43, or be made of perforated material, in order tostrain out excess water or liquid from the drilling fluid and allow itto escape up the well bore, such openings being fine enough to retainthe cuttings and sedimentary materials, thereby preventing too muchliquid from being forced against the side walls of the hole. As shownthe whole device is fastened to the drill stem 37, preferably just abovethe bit 42, and revolves or rotates therewith.

Normally when a well is being drilled with rotary tools the cuttingsfrom the drilling bit are absorbed by the drilling fluid coming down theinside of the drill stem under pressure exerted from the surface and areforced back up to the surface between the outside of the drill stem andthe sides of the hole being dug, with the drilling bit passing throughvarious and different formations, some porous and some impervious.

With this device attached to the drill stem just above the bit, as theformations are drilled and the cuttings start up the hole some arecaught in the bottom opening of the inward bulge of the device and theirupward motion stopped, whereupon they are forced sideways through theelongated opening in the cylinder wall against the side walls of thehole by the centrifugal pressure created by the rotary motion of thedrilling tools. If the formation coming into contact with, or oppositeto, the elongated opening in the cylinder wall is of a porous or cavingnature the cuttings and sedimentary materials are forced into thecrevices and cavities therein and plaster them shut so as to keep theformations from shaling-oif or collapsing into the hole. If theformation is of a non-porous or impervious nature the cuttings andsedimentary materials are retained in the reservoir, or inward bulge ofthe device, Where they are held until another formation is encounteredwhere they may be needed to fill in. As the accumulation in thereservoir is used up it is replenished by other materials coming up thehole and when the reservoir is filled the rest of the cuttings andsedimentary materials pass up the hole as at present.

In rotary drilling the predominant feature is the forcing down of afluid inside of the drill stem for the purpose of absorbing the cuttingsfrom the drilling bit and washing them out of the hole to the surface.The forces in operation are a downward pressure inside the stem or drillpipe to the drilling bit and a corresponding upward pressure from thebit outside of the drill pipe and between it and the side walls of thehole. No method for plastering the side walls and filling up thecavities and crevices therein can be successful unless the cuttings andsedimentary materials, or others which may be introduced into thedrilling fluid for that purpose, are captured and held so as to opposethe upward pressure and are then forced outwardly into the side walls bythe horizontal pressure created by the rotary motion of the drillingapparatus.

All devices shown in the prior art fail to accomplish this because theideas employed tend only to agitate the drilling fluid more than undernormal conditions and make no attempt or eifort to capture and hold thematerials and oppose the prevailing upward pressure.

Because of the speed with which rotary drilling tools revolve one fluidretaining reservoir 38 to a device may be suificient, but if not thedevice may be constructed with more, and in the embodiment shown inFigs. 3 to 6 two such reservoirs are disclosed.

The invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration but it will be obvious that numerous modifications andvariations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention in its broadest aspects.

I claim:

1. In combination with a hollow rotary drill stem adapted to deliverdrilling fluid to the bottom of a hole and provided at its lower endwith a drill bit, a drill hole plastering and smoothing device securedto said stem above said bit, said device comprising an openended smoothsurfaced cylindrical shell having substantially the same diameter as adrill hole to be plastered thereby and provided in its lateral Wall withan elongated opening extending obliquely to the axis of the shell, a finextending inwardly in said shell from one longitudinal edge of saidopening, and a top piece provided in the shell at the upper end of saidfin, whereby fluid entrained solids passing, upwardly in the drill holeand through the bottom of the shell may be deflected laterally by saidfin and top piece against the side of a drill hole.

2. In combination with a hollow rotary drill stem adapted to deliverdrilling fluid t0 the bottom of a hole and provided at its lower endwith a drill bit, a drill hole plastering and smoothing device securedto said stem above said bit, said device comprising an openended smoothsurfaced cylindrical shell having substantially the same diameter as adrill hole to be plastered thereby and provided in its lateral wall withan elongated opening, an elongated perforate wall member of an arcuatecross-section disposed in said shell and connected to the shellcontiguously with the longitudinal edges of said opening whereby toprovide a pocket in the shell open at the outside and at the lower endthereof, and a top piece secured in the shell at the upper end of saidwall member and closing the upper end of said pocket, whereby fluidentrained solids passing upwardly in the drill hole and through thebottom of the shell may enter the pocket and be deflected laterally bysaid wall member and top piece against the side of a drill hole.

3. In combination with a hollow rotary drill stem adapted to deliverdrilling fluid to the bottom of a hole and provided at its lower endwith a drill bit, a drill hole plastering and smoothing device securedto said stem above said bit, said device comprising an open-ended smoothsurfaced cylindrical shell coaxial with said drill stern and havingsubstantially the same diameter as a drill hole to be plastered thereby,said shell having inturned rounded end portions and a lateral wallprovided with an elongated opening extending obliquely to the axis ofthe shell, an elongated perforate Wall member disposed in the shell atone side of said drill stem and connected to the shell contiguously withthe longitudinal edges of said opening whereby to provide a pocket inthe shell open at the outside and at the bottom thereof, and a top piecesecured in the shell at the upper end of said wall member and closingthe upper end of said pocket, whereby fluid entrained solids passingupwardly in the drill hole and through the bottom of the shell may enterthe pocket and be deflected laterally by said wall member and top pieceagainst the side of a drill hole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

